Posted on 04/30/2002 4:30:34 AM PDT by KneelBeforeZod
Thong-Wearing Teens Kicked Out Of Dance
A group of parents are calling for the resignation of Rancho Bernardo High School's vice principal, claiming she enforced underwear checks at a school dance, 10News reported.
The dance occurred Friday and vice principal Rita Wilson turned away girls who were wearing thongs, the parent said.
Kim Teal is among the several parents angry with Wilson (pictured, right).
"First thing (my daughter) said when she got into the car was, 'Mom, it was horrible last night. You have to fight this,'" Teal told 10News.
According to parent Alane Garvik, girls who arrived at the dance wearing short skirts were immediately asked: "What kind of underwear do you have on?"
When Garvik's daughter red-facedly announced that she was wearing thong underwear she was told to "go home and put on appropriate underwear," according to Garvik.
Teal's daughter made it in and claims to have witnessed faculty lifting the skirts of girls to assure that the offending underwear was going nowhere near the dance floor.
"Well, I just saw ... a line of people and the vice principal, Mrs. Wilson, she was checking to see what the girls were wearing under their dresses. And she was literally lifting up their skirts and embarrassing them in front of everyone else," one student told 10News.
Parents and students have placed the blame on Wilson, for spearheading the thong underwear checks, even though there is nothing in the school dress code against them.
"It's not their right to know what kind of underwear these kids have," Garvik told 10News.
10News contacted school officials, who all declined to go on camera. But Principal Paul Gentle did say that he is "looking into the situation."
Parents are now asking for Wilson to resign.
Gentle said that even while enforcing the school dress code, it is not proper procedure to ask students what they are wearing underneath their clothes.
He told 10News that he plans to meet with parents sometime this week.
Well, I'm not a libertarian in as much as I have no idea what an "official" libertarian position is on any given issue. I just call things as I see 'em without checking with anyone else first. But here it goes:
I know this puts a damper on "freedom" of expression for kids, but in this case, what rights are really being violated by having to wear a uniform to school?
IMO, it has nothing to do with freedom of expression. It is a simple matter of finding where the state would get it's authority to tell a parent how to dress their minor children. It doesn't exist.
I was waiting for that, have a good day.
i totally agree! i knew there was some reason that i liked ya! now isn't this nice that even after all our disagreeing, we are all pals with points of agreement. All threads should be this way!
these thongs were sported under very short dresses. On the dance floor there is no way they would be staying out of sight or underneath their clothing. That's why the girls wearing long skirts or slacks were not questioned or inspected.
Why would these teenage girls wear the darn things if they didn't have a reasonable expectation that they'd have the opportunity to show them off?
If we were talking about private schools, I agree with you 100%. I don't believe we were , however.
Two reasonable points. I'll compromise and say 'uncle'.
Well, I'm not much of a libertarian, but I can. Your error is this part right here:
I'd put EVERYONE in slacks and polo shits, even the women...
Care to explain what a polo sh*t is, smart guy? ;)
I'm jealous.
I think this was a bit much....
Granny panties would not have been much of a deterrence to me in my day I must confess.....with a willing partner that is. BTW, my wife looks great in them too. My daughters are now too old to prance around thank God. I don't think HS girls wearing thongs means they are sluts....now pants hanging off their arse ....that's another issue...excessive piercing too...in my book.
I do see your argument. I agree the state cannot tell a parent how to dress their children, but in a state owned and run institution, like the school, I find no real problem with the state entering into a contract with the student. You get your education here, but you abide by these rules. If you do not like these rules, go to school elsewhere or homeschool. No?
Who would ever want the government to teach their kids! I cannot understand it, what possible good is there over sending them to private school or home schooling?
My biggest disagreement here was the "thongs = slut" angle of many of those posting. Those are fighting words to me, because my fiancee' exclusively wears thongs, has for years, and she's not a slut. Also, I had a problem with the assertion that the school has any control over what kinds of garments girls wear UNDER their school approved outer clothing. It also bothered me that the school made an a priori assumption that every girl in a short skirt, with a thong was trying to show said thong off.
Like I said clear rules about skirts would have solved the entire issue.
And who is the state to force you to send your kid to school elsewhere or homeschool?
Problem is, public education is mandatory. If you choose not to send your kids, you get arrested. Your only other choice is to shell out money for private school or to take on the burden or expense of homeschooling.
I don't see where the state gets is authority to enforce education. Education of children should be a private, parental matter that the state is neither involved in, nor has any knowledge of.
I'm glad we could come to an agreement somewhere. :-)
We have a wonderful "preview" screen here at FR - it's a wonder I don't use it :-)
Like I said I do see your point, but in the end I do see dress codes as being in the best interests of the students when as you pointed out they don't really have much of a choice in the first place.
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